My Guide to Starting an Art Collection

What does ‘starting an art collection’ even mean? It sounds intentional and a bit fancy, but in truth it just means ‘buying art’, in which case you could argue that as soon as you buy just one piece of art, you are starting your art collection. Starting an art collection doesn’t just belong to the rich and famous, it belongs to all of us that enjoy art and would like to have a home that includes it. But…to pull together a collection of art that works as a whole can take a little more consideration and care.

The process of starting an art collection that you love can sometimes feel like a daunting process – where do you start and how do you find artists whose work you will fall in love with? The world of galleries and art is not as intimidating as you might expect and you don’t need to be an art critic to know what it is you like. It’s all about gaining access to artists, exhibitions and art fairs so that when you see something you like, you are in a position to buy it.

Art Fairs

There are a couple of ways to get started. One of the easiest entry points is to attend an art fair - where someone else has gathered for you a collection of galleries (who in turn have gathered together some great artists) all under one roof. Attending an art fair is probably the least pressured space to view art and get a sense for what you like and what kind of price point you should expect when it comes to art.

The Affordable Art Fair Singapore is back in town this week (7-10 November 2024). With 83 galleries and more than 700 artists represented, it is a great fair to visit whether you are already collecting art, or just starting out. And the good news is, I have already browsed all 83 galleries and rounded up some of my favourite pieces over here. Take a look at what has caught my eye.

Galleries

The next obvious place to start on your journey to unearthing great art is to get to know galleries. Visit their websites and join their mailing lists. By doing this, whenever a new exhibition is scheduled, you will receive an email with the details of the exhibition and a catalogue of the work. If the artist is popular then you will have to move quickly. Lots of art buyers who are on the gallery’s mailing lists arrange viewings to purchase from the exhibition before it has opened to the general public. Even if you attend the opening night, you will often find that many of the pieces have already been sold. So it’s worth acting fast if you like an artist’s work.

If you are interested in a particular piece and live in the same city as the gallery then set up a viewing. If that’s not possible, then you can ask the gallery to take photos of the art for you to get a more realistic impression – some simple iPhone snaps can give a perspective that the catalogue won’t.

Visit galleries whenever you get a chance. Even if there are no exhibitions you are interested in. They are the gateway to finding artists and are always very friendly and happy to answer questions. Galleries always have a treasure trove of art in the stockroom, so if there is an artist that you like that does not have a current exhibition then ask to see the stockroom. A list of stockroom pieces will also be on the galleries website.

Magazines and Social Media

Interior magazines and social media are also a great place to find art - and in fact, this is how I find about 90% of new artists or galleries. Start a saved folder in Instagram called ‘Art’ and every time you see a piece of work that you like, save it here so that you can dig a bit further online and visit the gallery or artists website.

And let’s not forget my favourite medium for unearthing all things interiors - magazines. Most magazines reference the art that appears in photos of the homes they cover so make a note of the artists name and find the gallery that represents them. In addition to real homes, magazines like Vogue Australia and Belle have an Art editorial section at the beginning of the magazine which is always worth reading.